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With the other thread just about full i thought we should start a new one.


Browns announce hiring of Kokinis
01.25.2009
The Cleveland Browns announced the hiring of George Kokinis as the club's general manager on Sunday evening.

Kokinis returns to the club where he started his NFL career with a total of 18 years of front office experience, including the last 13 years with the Baltimore Ravens and the last six as the club's director of pro personnel.

"The Browns are excited to bring George back to Cleveland where he began his NFL career," said Browns owner Randy Lerner. "He is a tireless worker that has spent his entire career evaluating talent and knows the type of player it takes to be successful in this league and in our division."

"I would like to thank Randy Lerner for the extraordinary opportunity," said Kokinis. "Cleveland is a football town and I look forward to working alongside Eric Mangini and the rest of the organization."

Kokinis began his NFL scouting career with the Browns in 1991 after serving an internship in the team's operations department. He then spent five seasons with the Browns scouting department (1991-95), including two working alongside Browns current head coach Eric Mangini, before the team relocated to Baltimore.

In his time in Baltimore, Kokinis worked closely with general manager Ozzie Newsome in analyzing NFL rosters and coordinating and evaluating the free agency market. Kokinis also made personnel recommendations and assisted in contract negotiations.

Kokinis assisted in the acquisition of Pro Bowl alternate running back Willis McGahee from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for future draft choices. That year, the club also resigned linebacker Jarret Johnson. In 2006, Kokinis negotiated the contracts of draft picks Dawan Landry and Ryan LaCasse. The team also acquired quarterback Steve McNair in exchange for a 2007 draft choice, resigned linebacker Bart Scott and also signed a number of significant free agent contributors, such as defensive end Trevor Pryce, who led the team with 13 sacks, running back Mike Anderson, defensive tackle Justin Bannan, cornerback Corey Ivy and linebacker Gary Stills.

With the Ravens, Kokinis spent four years as the team's Northeast area scout from 1996-99. He was promoted in 2000 and spent the next three seasons (2000-02) as the club's assistant director of pro personnel. His primary responsibility was the advance scouting of opponents and providing reports to the coaching staff. In 2003, Kokinis was promoted to the Ravens' director of pro personnel and was responsible for all aspects of the pro personnel department.


nordawg

With the firing of T.J McCreight,you can say,"the Greek fixed the leak"....

About time...welcome about George

Get to work; you have a lot to do.

The curious question here is why do this on a Sunday evening? Are they not going to have a presser with him where he can give the lapdog answers as to how it feels now coming home and being with the Browns again?

We got so used to getting the Browns news from the "Rumor Mill", we began to worry about Kokinis being hired. I had to grin when the Rumor Mill referenced the Browns as their source and not some unnamed source from the Browns...lol.

okay.. okay...

Now let's get this team flowing on all cylinders...

Well Mangini got the GM he wanted. Let's hope it was the right decision

Browns hire Kokinis as GM
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports writer

POSTED: 08:40 p.m. EST, Jan 25, 2009

Intent on avoiding the disconnect between the two top football men that plagued the Browns much of the past four years, owner Randy Lerner hired George Kokinis as general manager today.

Kokinis, who spent the past six years as the Baltimore Ravens director of pro personnel, was the first choice of new coach Eric Mangini.

Kokinis, 41, and Mangini, 38, broke into football as Browns interns in the 1990s and shared a Berea apartment, sleeping on the floor on borrowed mattresses.

''The Browns are excited to bring George back to Cleveland, where he began his NFL career,'' Lerner said. ''He is a tireless worker that has spent his entire career evaluating talent and knows the type of player it takes to be successful in this league and in our division.''

In the Browns' announcement, Kokinis thanked Lerner for the ''extraordinary opportunity.''

Lerner interviewed Kokinis on Jan. 11 and was apparently on board with Mangini's recommendation. Mangini and Kokinis huddled in Cleveland for two days last week, presumably discussing the team's issues and how they would divide responsibilities.

Like Mangini a native of Connecticut, Kokinis has worked alongside or for Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome for 18 years in Cleveland and Baltimore. Kokinis' main responsibility was evaluating the league's personnel and targeting potential free agents.

He and his assistant, Vince Newsome, were in charge of the weekly scouting presentation on the opponent, which held up Kokinis' hiring with the Browns until the Ravens lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 25 in the AFC Championship Game.

''George is really a football expert,'' Kevin Byrne, Ravens senior vice president of public and community relations, told WTAM radio this month. ''We have a thing where Ozzie says, 'If you have a conviction, jump on the table and make your point. If you don't have a conviction, don't bother me.' George is a guy I've seen jump on the table and lean over to Ozzie or the owner in some cases and say, 'Look, we've got to re-sign this guy' or 'If we don't get another tackle, we won't be able to stop Jamal Lewis when we play the Browns twice, we won't be able to stop [Pittsburgh's] Willie Parker and whoever they line up in Cincinnati.'

''He has a firm belief in his football values. In this business, you can't be shy. If you're shy, if you're going to pay too much respect to the people around you, if you're not willing to challenge the people in house, I think that can lead to mediocrity. You have to have consternation, because not everybody is going to agree that Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn should be the quarterback. You have to have people who are willing to jump on the table and say, 'We've got to play this guy for this reason. Now let's do it.' ''

In a Jan. 9 interview, Lerner said, ''If George Kokinis is the right guy, he's getting hired,'' but Lerner insisted that he was ''not rubber-stamping anything.'' He vowed to be ''thorough and thoughtful'' in the search for a general manager.

At least two candidates canceled scheduled interviews, including Atlanta Falcons President Rich McKay and Philadelphia Eagles General Manager Tom Heckert, probably because they would have preferred another coach.

In pairing Mangini and Kokinis, Lerner seems to be going down the same path as he followed with former coach Romeo Crennel and Savage. Savage also worked under coach Bill Belichick with the Browns in the early '90s and came to them from Baltimore, where he with he was Newsome's top scout. Crennel toiled with and under Bill Parcells and Belichick, as did Mangini with the New York Jets and Patriots.

But former Browns General Manager Ernie Accorsi, who retired from that role with the New York Giants after the 2006 season, has long been impressed with Kokinis. He brought Kokinis to the Browns in 1991, when Kokinis was a graduate assistant for his godson's baseball team at the University of Richmond. Serving as a consultant in the Atlanta Falcons GM search last year, Accorsi reportedly recommended Kokinis, Heckert and Thomas Dimitroff, who was owner Arthur Blank's choice.

According to reports, Lerner interviewed only five candidates for the post left vacant by his Dec. 27 firing of Savage. The first, Scott Pioli, New England Patriots vice president of player personnel, opted to go to with the Kansas City Chiefs, presumably because he did not agree with Lerner's choice of Mangini. Mangini allegedly blew the whistle on Patriots coach Bill Belichick's illegal taping of defensive signals in the 2007 ''Spygate'' controversy.

Also talking to Lerner about the general manager job were Browns director of player personnel T.J. McCreight, who was fired last week; James ''Shack'' Harris, former Jacksonville Jaguars vice president of player personnel; and David Gettleman, New York Giants director of pro personnel.

Intent on avoiding the disconnect between the two top football men that plagued the Browns much of the past four years, owner Randy Lerner hired George Kokinis as general manager today.

Kokinis, who spent the past six years as the Baltimore Ravens director of pro personnel, was the first choice of new coach Eric Mangini.

Kokinis, 41, and Mangini, 38, broke into football as Browns interns in the 1990s and shared a Berea apartment, sleeping on the floor on borrowed mattresses.

''The Browns are excited to bring George back to Cleveland, where he began his NFL career,'' Lerner said. ''He is a tireless worker that has spent his entire career evaluating talent and knows the type of player it takes to be successful in this league and in our division.''

In the Browns' announcement, Kokinis thanked Lerner for the ''extraordinary opportunity.''

Lerner interviewed Kokinis on Jan. 11 and was apparently on board with Mangini's recommendation. Mangini and Kokinis huddled in Cleveland for two days last week, presumably discussing the team's issues and how they would divide responsibilities.

Like Mangini a native of Connecticut, Kokinis has worked alongside or for Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome for 18 years in Cleveland and Baltimore. Kokinis' main responsibility was evaluating the league's personnel and targeting potential free agents.

He and his assistant, Vince Newsome, were in charge of the weekly scouting presentation on the opponent, which held up Kokinis' hiring with the Browns until the Ravens lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 25 in the AFC Championship Game.

''George is really a football expert,'' Kevin Byrne, Ravens senior vice president of public and community relations, told WTAM radio this month. ''We have a thing where Ozzie says, 'If you have a conviction, jump on the table and make your point. If you don't have a conviction, don't bother me.' George is a guy I've seen jump on the table and lean over to Ozzie or the owner in some cases and say, 'Look, we've got to re-sign this guy' or 'If we don't get another tackle, we won't be able to stop Jamal Lewis when we play the Browns twice, we won't be able to stop [Pittsburgh's] Willie Parker and whoever they line up in Cincinnati.'

''He has a firm belief in his football values. In this business, you can't be shy. If you're shy, if you're going to pay too much respect to the people around you, if you're not willing to challenge the people in house, I think that can lead to mediocrity. You have to have consternation, because not everybody is going to agree that Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn should be the quarterback. You have to have people who are willing to jump on the table and say, 'We've got to play this guy for this reason. Now let's do it.' ''

In a Jan. 9 interview, Lerner said, ''If George Kokinis is the right guy, he's getting hired,'' but Lerner insisted that he was ''not rubber-stamping anything.'' He vowed to be ''thorough and thoughtful'' in the search for a general manager.

At least two candidates canceled scheduled interviews, including Atlanta Falcons President Rich McKay and Philadelphia Eagles General Manager Tom Heckert, probably because they would have preferred another coach.

In pairing Mangini and Kokinis, Lerner seems to be going down the same path as he followed with former coach Romeo Crennel and Savage. Savage also worked under coach Bill Belichick with the Browns in the early '90s and came to them from Baltimore, where he with he was Newsome's top scout. Crennel toiled with and under Bill Parcells and Belichick, as did Mangini with the New York Jets and Patriots.

But former Browns General Manager Ernie Accorsi, who retired from that role with the New York Giants after the 2006 season, has long been impressed with Kokinis. He brought Kokinis to the Browns in 1991, when Kokinis was a graduate assistant for his godson's baseball team at the University of Richmond. Serving as a consultant in the Atlanta Falcons GM search last year, Accorsi reportedly recommended Kokinis, Heckert and Thomas Dimitroff, who was owner Arthur Blank's choice.

According to reports, Lerner interviewed only five candidates for the post left vacant by his Dec. 27 firing of Savage. The first, Scott Pioli, New England Patriots vice president of player personnel, opted to go to with the Kansas City Chiefs, presumably because he did not agree with Lerner's choice of Mangini. Mangini allegedly blew the whistle on Patriots coach Bill Belichick's illegal taping of defensive signals in the 2007 ''Spygate'' controversy.

Also talking to Lerner about the general manager job were Browns director of player personnel T.J. McCreight, who was fired last week; James ''Shack'' Harris, former Jacksonville Jaguars vice president of player personnel; and David Gettleman, New York Giants director of pro personnel.

nordawg

My wife came in the room and announced it a while ago. I was driving Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Ruined a perfectly good lap she did.

My response to her is the same one many of us will have on this thread. "It's about time!"

It's like building a house. You have to lay the pieces down in some sort of order. The GM is another piece. And at this time of year, it's a foundation piece. Now he's got to get HIS supporting cast together. Then they start evaluating the furniture (players, pro, college, FA, etc).

About bloody time! Pluto caused this? Just kidding. Welome aboard. Win now! Good luck!
Side bet: Will Mangini outlast the GM? 5 to 3 on Master K LOL

Finally. This qualified as "worst kept secret in the world". Now, let's see what he does with the roster and let's see if THEY win.

The article did come from the Journal...

nordawg

Finally.

I thought you were serious and was wondering how a game becomes a "classic" in a week. Then I checked the tv listings.

Welcome aboard Koke! Now bring us a winner!

Welcome Koke....now get your butt to work!!!!!!!!!

It will be more then interesting to get to know the plan assuming they make their plans public. There is so much to do. The draft FA, re-sign don't re-sign, get rid of hang onto. This is bound to be a very intersting off-season we should have plenty to argue about and think about. I look forward to it, and hopefully when the smoke clears will have a better footbal team.

Welcome to Koke, I look forward to seeing what you and EM can get done this off-season TOGETHER.

BTTB

So with Hiring Kokinis....is our entire staff in place, or do we still have a few odds and ends type postions to fill...???


Good luck Mangini and Kokinis.......welcome aboard........!!!!!!!........

I have read a few snippets that suggest that Lerner is considering Harris (formerly of Jacksonville) as director of player personnel.


Anyway ..... Pluto's take on the hire ....

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2009/01/terry_pluto_eight_things_i_thi.html


Terry Pluto: Eight things I think about the hiring of George Kokinis
by Terry Pluto
Sunday January 25, 2009, 10:15 PM


1. George Kokinis must establish the fact that while he is friends with new Browns coach Eric Mangini, Kokinis is indeed the general manager. Kokinis has to demonstrate that just because Mangini was hired first, it doesn't mean Kokinis will just sign off on everything the coach wants. He doesn't need to be dictator.

Communication between the coach and GM in forming the roster is critical -- but in the end, when there is a strong disagreement, someone needs the final say. That someone should be Kokinis.


2. I know some people who have worked with Kokinis in Baltimore. They stressed his communication skills and his ability to build a consensus between the coaches and the player personnel department when assembling the Ravens roster. But they also told me Kokinis would never leave Baltimore just to be an assistant to Mangini, that he'd insist on being a true GM.

I hope this is true, because it's hard for a coach to run the entire organization.


3. I imagine the structure for the Browns being closer to that of Pittsburgh or Arizona, two teams where the coaches are the front men with media and public -- but work with a GM to build the team.


4. While Kokinis was hired in Cleveland during the Bill Belichick regime, he has spent most of his career in Baltimore -- where GM Ozzie Newsome and Vice President Kevin Byrne believe in communication with the fans through the media.

Kokinis needs to understand that his hiring has been covered by public silence from the team and wild rumors from everywhere. The fans are waiting for a reason to believe he and Mangini can turn the team around. They want to have an idea of how the GM / coach structure will work.


5. Kokinis and Mangini need to realize many Browns fans are like members of an abused family. The moment anything goes wrong, fans expect the worst. Why not? The team moved. The team has had more seasons of at least 12 losses (5) than it has had winning seasons (2) since returning in 1999.

While Kokinis and Mangini had nothing to do with the past, they inherit the scars of the recent dismal history. It can't just be ignored.


6. While Mangini and Kokinis both got their starts under Belichick and both have tremendous respect for the man who has become a Hall of Fame-caliber coach in New England, Belichick remains a polarizing figure here. The arrogance and disdain that he showed in news conferences (watched by the fans) was insulting to many of the customers who pay the salaries of the coaches and players. Romeo Crennel was wise in how he remained respectful and genuine, even when it was obvious he planned to say nothing of consequence. Even the fans who didn't like Crennel as a coach considered him a decent man who didn't talk down to the customers.


7. Owner Randy Lerner could help himself in the eyes of the fans by standing in front of everyone at the news conference and giving clear reasons why he has hired Mangini and Kokinis. Lerner did do more homework than most fans realize, and he did have a plan beginning with finding an experience coach with some degree of success. But he needs to explain that to his customers. The Mangini news conference lacked a voice of anyone from the team stating why the former Jets coach was hired.


8. Kokinis is not Pete Garcia, the player personnel man to Butch Davis who had no real pro experience. Kokinis is a career NFL guy who has scouted college players and the pros for years. He helped Newsome put together some very good teams in Baltimore. Teams such as Kansas City and Atlanta have been interested in interviewing him in the past few years. You never know what a guy can do until he is finally the head coach or GM, but Kokinis has solid credentials.

Thought Pluto was going to get annoyed that the Browns are alienating the fans...so how did he dig up all this stuff?

Looks like all these writers are getting what's made public and they can't stand it...

nordawg

Sounds like a lot of loose ends fluff and he wants pages of "Inside my Mind" by Randy Lerner and "How I'm going to kick Burgs butt" by Eric Mangini.

One thing I find amusing.

Belichick remains a polarizing figure here. The arrogance and disdain that he showed in news conferences (watched by the fans) was insulting to many of the customers who pay the salaries of the coaches and players. Romeo Crennel was wise in how he remained respectful and genuine, even when it was obvious he planned to say nothing of consequence. Even the fans who didn't like Crennel as a coach considered him a decent man who didn't talk down to the customers.

While it would have been wise for a losing coach at the time to be "nicer to the media" it really makes no difference as to the product they put on the field. He was a jerk and got canned. Romeo was a nice guy and got canned.

When you win you can be a jerk. Works for Belichick and it worked for Parcells. Heck, Parcells was resently asked if he intended to stay in Miami since he had an out with the owner selling the team.. he answered, "What's it look like I'm doing? What do your eyes tell you?

If a coach can win here consistantly I'll take a media jerk. Ask stupid questions and you get stupid answers......

The difference this time around and I'm NOT suggesting this is going to be perfect..but Coke at least looks at the rosters (especially those in our division) and sees what we need to combat those..I'm sure there will be better communication from him and Mangini on what type of players to bring in..
What I want to see is are they able to get more draft picks..are they able to move around in the draft ..

Glad we have somebody in there after jawing this thing for seemingly lengthy amount of time. Hope he gets to werk today. Lots to be done (and done well or fixed — reader's choice!). But this isn't a hack, and I do NOT want Mangini out of loop for personnel, but NEITHER do I want him in charge of all ops. We have seen how crappy that gets in no time. Winning is a big enough duty to chew on. Good luck. Let's win soon, shall we?

I think it is going to work well too.

As for getting more picks and moving around....I hope so too...I am not sure we will be able to do that this year.

I think the odds are pretty good we end up keeping DA, so I don't see any picks there . I really don't think we will trade Winslow.....maybe Edwards, but this is his contract year. Any team trading for him is going to want to sign him to a longer deal....and Edwards may not want to do that....with this being his contract year...expect to see Edwards play like a guy who cares....cares about himself and wants a huge 2nd contract.

One guy we haven't mentioned in all the trade talk, who I think is a poor fit here is Corey Williams. He seems ill suited to the type of D we play and would be attractive to a 4-3 team who likes to shoot some gaps rather than hold position like we do.

I'm kinda wierding out here..

Yesterday, Pluto had his shorts all up in a bunch over no news coming out of Berea..., Today, he's already starting to write thngs that may cause problems for the organization...

Such as:

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Kokinis has to demonstrate that just because Mangini was hired first, it doesn't mean Kokinis will just sign off on everything the coach wants. He doesn't need to be dictator.

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Or this little gem:

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Communication between the coach and GM in forming the roster is critical -- but in the end, when there is a strong disagreement, someone needs the final say. That someone should be Kokinis.

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Really, was it Pioli in NE? I don't know who will have final say.. but it doesn't have to be Kokinis. It could just as easily be Mangini.

Quote:

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They stressed his communication skills and his ability to build a consensus between the coaches and the player personnel department when assembling the Ravens roster.

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That is exactly the kinda person it's gonna take in this organization to make it click..

Quote:

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But they also told me Kokinis would never leave Baltimore just to be an assistant to Mangini, that he'd insist on being a true GM.

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Maybe that's true, but can that feeling coexist with the first comment about being a concensus builder? Of course it can. So perhaps he's adapt enough to get the job done without seeming to be a tyrant.

Quote:

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Kokinis needs to understand that his hiring has been covered by public silence from the team and wild rumors from everywhere

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Yeah, rumors mostly started by the Media.. The organization has been mum about the entire process. so where are the rumors coming from other than the media. Kokinis doesn't need to understand anything that Pluto thinks is important about public Silence.

I know this is gonna sound strange, but if we don't hear another word until we see what they do on Draft day, then we as fans may get upset, but frankly, it's not the end of the world. the Browns are a business and you don't see many corporations, especially ones that are completely privately held, tell anyone anything.

Quote:

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Kokinis and Mangini need to realize many Browns fans are like members of an abused family.

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Pluto kinda has a point here and sure, public opinion is important to some degree. If we stop buying tickets to games and stop buying Browns Gear, it will have an effect on team profits.. so yeah, we are important from that stand point.

But in the grand scheme of things, the only thing the Browns owe us is a winner.. and that's only because we support them both emotionally and financially.

Quote:

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7. Owner Randy Lerner could help himself in the eyes of the fans by standing in front of everyone at the news conference and giving clear reasons why he has hired Mangini and Kokinis

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No he can't.. No he doesn't have to.. it's strickly something that Pluto and the rest of the Media want so they have something to write about.

Randy Lerner owns the team,, it's private ownership.. No public offerings, no public explainations required by any law or dictate.

Because we support them, he owes us nothing but a winner....

We get that, and Randy could take a dump on Plutos head on public square on the coldest day of the year,,, and nobody but Pluto would care.

The preceding information is JMO..... Don't believe a word of it.. I made it all up Except for the parts I didn't make up!

Didn't we sign Williams to a hefty deal, though? Would other teams be willing to take that on?

*Edit* That was always a signing that left me scratching my head. Here was a guy who had never played in the 3-4, yet we gave up a lot and paid him a lot. It almost seemed as if Savage said "they tagged him, he MUST be good!"

"where GM Ozzie Newsome and Vice President Kevin Byrne believe in communication with the fans through the media."

Ahhhh...again basically all that concerns Pluto...

1. Just as I suspected this has been done for a while...GK needed a small vacation with family before working this out.

2. Don't expect anything important spoken to the fans - through the media, don't worry Pluto, if spoken it will be through you cause we've seen what you can produce by investigating your own sources.

But don't expect much UNTIL its finished then we will make statements to the media/errr fans.

3. There are 3 new Teams being built from common backgrounds - regarding who they know. Browns, Jets and KC all 3 will be tight lipped until they get who they want.

4. What is needed? Finalizing the coaching staff. LB coach, and a slew of Offensive Assistants.

GK needs to hire his Right Hand Man and I believe 2-3 scouts were let go as well.

A lot of Mangini hiring has been put off cause I think he's waiting to see who Rex Ryan keeps in NY.

As for us being EVIL and not letting any of our coaches get the opportunity to get other jobs as reported by the idle handed local media.

I see Rip not having any problems getting a job in Carolina.
I see Anthony Lynn getting a Parallel Job with the Jets...how was that possible with this EVIL EMPIRE here???

But we aren't going to tell the MEDIA what we are thinking about doing and who we are thinking of pursuing...thats utterly ABSURD!

JMHO - and Good Luck George, He seems to be the right guy. Now lets see the fruits in the reward

Anybody know what time and if any stations will hold the presser? øeen searching like mad, can't find any info on it.

Oh, I believe you and agree with you. And, it doesn't matter to me who we get rid of or who we sign. Yeah, I have certain players that I like and wouldn't want them to go, but, in the end, I just want to win. Period.

Quote:

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I'm kinda wierding out here..

Yesterday, Pluto had his shorts all up in a bunch over no news coming out of Berea..., Today, he's already starting to write thngs that may cause problems for the organization...

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Ah, that's the biggest problem with an organization that isn't going to be free with information... writers have to write about something so if they can't get reliable information from the team, they'll just start to speculate and make crap up.. and that can be worse.